Origin of Madness
by Evilsod
Summary: A one-shot prequel story about just how and why Overlords most huggable villain came to betray the Slane Theocracy and end up in a graveyard in E-Rantel.


**A/N - I have never really attempted creative writing before so constructive criticism is appreciated. I submitted the first half of this on reddit for the fanfic contest and have since finished it off and tweaked it multiple times. If I don't put it on here now I'll be tweaking it forever and never release it, so here goes nothing.**

**If you have comments/critique, think I messed up the lore or just liked (or disliked) the story, please let me know!**

**With thanks to 'The Usual Gang of Drunken Perverted Idiots' for beta reading it. **

**Any formatting errors are my own inexperience with FFN!**

* * *

"The Cardinals forbade you from coming up here", said a familiar voice from behind her. It sounded uptight. It always sounded uptight.

She laid back and arched her body, looking behind her, "Awww, don't be like that captain", she purred, swinging her legs playfully over the edge of the Cathedral of Darkness.

"You have a mission to prepare for, I'm not putting my people at risk so you can fuck it up because you're bored!" He said through gritted teeth. That made her smile, inside at least. She kept her face carefully neutral. Winding the captain up was one of her favourite hobbies when she was stuck in the capital, and he was quickly approaching the limit she had determined over the last couple of years through careful prodding.

She scanned his face for the tells. Clenched jaw, check, narrowed eyes, double check, veins on his forehead, nope. There was still some room to work with.

She grinned, "So send me on my own. A handful of peasants go missing in our territory, demihumans wouldn't dare go that far so a few bandits or slavers, nothing I can't handle. I'm a big girl". She arched her back just right to make her breasts stand out even more in her low cut shirt, "I can take care of myself". The captains eyes wavered for the briefest of moments as his gaze left hers.

_Gotcha, fufufu!_

Her smile split her face from ear to ear as she caught him looking. This had become like a sport to her, a distraction to keep her from going insane while she was stuck in this city of uptight lunatics. He was pretty enough to look at but that wasn't the point, he was just so, so stoic. She wanted him to break character. Even God-kins should be corruptible if you could find where to push, that was her real goal with him.

That was only secondary though. The real reason was that if she went alone she got to indulge herself. Whoever was behind it wasn't a simple beast, those were no fun anymore. Whoever it was, they were sentient. There was nothing like slowly torturing her targets. Sometimes she got to do it on group missions to gather information but she loved to play with them after. But she could only go so far before the others stopped her.

She flicked her body and in one fluid motion, her legs arced over her head as she raised up onto her hands, turned and landed on her feet facing him. To most people, it was an incredible feat of acrobatic ability, her captain just glared at her as he thought it over. She didn't give a damn how he justified it to himself so long as he did it.

"Fine, maybe doing it alone will teach you something about responsibility", he finally said, exasperated, "I will inform the 4th and 6th seats to stand down, you are to depart for the village of Kyoki at sunrise. Be at the treasury before then to prepare your authorised equipment".

"Hehe, thanks Cap, I won't _letch_ ya down", she giggled.

She skipped across the roof and as she opened the trap door, a voice called out to her, "Quintia. You'd better not mess this up".

She stopped at the mention of the name she despised more than anything. It wasn't her name, it was her brother's, the one she was always compared to by everyone, and her parents' name, who never allowed her to accomplish anything, and the captain knew it. Refusing to let him see the truth in her heart, she turned, brushed her blonde hair away and gave him the most radiant smile she could manage, her pink eyes shining in the moonlight, "You know me captain, I always finish what I start. Later!" and with a wave she hopped backwards, plummeting out of sight.

It took a day and a half of riding before the village of Kyoki finally came into view. It had been an uneventful journey even for a young girl travelling alone, the roads in the Slane Theocracy were generally safe. Banditry was a rare occurrence, precisely because people like her, no, people from the Scriptures, turned up to investigate it and very quickly put a stop to it.

Unfortunately, it didn't look like her boredom was about to change. It was like every other village she had ever been to. They didn't bother constructing walls in villages this far from the borders, just a single fortified building in the centre which acted as a village hall and could be occupied in the event of a threat so a defence could be mounted. Around the village square was also an inn, a well and as always, a Temple dedicated to the Six. The rest of the village was made up of houses and storage buildings.

She spurred her horse forwards and headed towards it. Someone saw her, dropped the bucket of water they were carrying and ran off towards the village hall. By the time she reached the square, several people were standing there waiting for her. It was time to begin playing the game.

The mayors, or elders, whatever they decided to call themselves, looked the same in every village too. They were either elderly, portly or both. These were the former, the man rapidly approaching the latter.

She waved at them, "Hiya! Kami Miyako sent me, am told ya have a problem", the glee in her voice was overwhelming and the casual way she spoke took them by surprise.

The larger man in the middle looked up at her, "By the Six, I didn't expect they'd send someone so..." he paused. She gave him her most playful smile. The travelling cloak she wore to cover up her equipment didn't reveal much beyond her head but she knew she was considered to be very pretty. His imagination was probably in overdrive.

"Quickly?" She prompted, sticking her tongue out ever-so-slightly. Peasants were so easy.

He coughed under the watchful eye of his wife, "Yes, just so. I am the mayor, Odr and this is my wife Lyssa and our daughter Astraea".

The other two curtsied at their names.

"Nice to meet cha, I'm here to help, that's all ya need to know, but first, lemme stretch my legs. It's been a loooooooong road".

"Of course deary. Come see us when you're ready", said Lyssa. Astraea rolled her eyes, "I'll go home, you don't need me here", Odr groaned very faintly, he knew he was going to get an earful if his daughter wasn't around. That made her smile.

She hopped down off the horse, led it to the stable, grabbed her pack and got herself a room. It was a standard fare for a village but she didn't care, anything was more comfortable than sitting on the damned horse for a moment longer.

She threw her cloak off her shoulders and admired her equipment, running her hands over it sensually, caressing it as one would a lover. She adored it. It had made all the hardships she'd endured in the Scripture training worth every second. A set of light armour made from an unknown metal so thin it flexed as if it were made of leather but offered protection superior to adamantite plate armour, layered over a soft linen that breathed so well it was as though she were wearing nothing at all.

It fit perfectly as all magic armours did, hugging her figure, emphasising every curve. The metal was inlaid with dark orange, picking out her features to make them even clearer. Hanging at her sides were her trusty weapons. Though she could use them extremely well, she didn't like using the Sai. As a relic of the Six Gods, they were incredibly powerful and to put it simply, they inflicted too much damage and her opponents rarely survived for long after. She made a point to requisition her favourite set of adamantite stilettos for every mission, even if they were relatively weak.

She spent thirty minutes meticulously cleaning her weapons before covering herself up and heading back to the village hall. Inside she found Lyssa seated calmly while the red faced Odr looked flustered.

"So... tell me everything!" she said cheerfully, taking a seat.

"Um, well, it started at the end of winter, see. First young Tara and Busko went missing. We didn't think much of it at the time, thought they must've ran off together-"

Lyssa interrupted him, "Tell her about her bonnet".

"I'm getting to that dear", he replied, rolling his eyes, "Some days later one of the hunters found the lass' bonnet in the bushes a few miles west of the village. 'Strange' we thought, given the season, but perhaps they took a tumble, if you know what I mean, and lost it. That was when Jacob went missing, lives on the west edge of the village. Not the first time it's happened after a heavy night in the tavern, but he couldn't be found the next day. Coulda gone anywhere..."

Lyssa chipped in again, "Don't forget Marley".

He turned, "What? We've been over this. That mutt probably ran off after Jacob went missing! Can I finish telling the lass?" she huffed and without waiting for an answer he turned back to her, "Not long after, one of the hunters never came home, he works the area east. Maybe a wild animal got him, but he was always careful Ormus was. That's when we thought something was up. Sent out some search parties, but when they came back, ol' Terquin and his son were gone from their homes. Folks have been getting mighty fearful lately, we've prayed to the Six every day and every night and still people are going missing. We got word to the capital for assistance, so please young lady, stop this madness".

"Ooh, so the first happened out west nearby, then another out west nearby, then far east", she said leaning in closer to the old man.

"We figured whoever it is, must be out east and the hunter found em and they silenced 'im!" He exclaimed with confidence

"Nope!" She said gleefully, slouching back in the chair, "That one was a diversion. They'll be out west somewhere. I'll go take a look, tell them nicely to leave you all alone".

"Ah oh... didn't think of that. You sure you'll be safe on your own? We could get some of the lads to help you out..."

She paused. While she was certain she wouldn't need any help, they could be good for bait... or just her own amusement. She licked her lips, no, she'd save herself for these kidnappers.

"Nah, I'll be fine. These guys are probably just a few slavers fallen on hard times. Some of the ones that deal with cities like Wenmark aren't very scrupulous, but they're also cowards. Why didn't you just use the town hall though? Keep everyone together?" she asked. That last part genuinely confused her, that was surely the whole point of the building.

"Er, we suggested that but everyun' said the Six would protect em and they wouldn't let the thieves steal their stuff".

She nodded and stood up to get out of there before she cursed them all as the idiots they were. Putting their faith in the 'Gods' over actually doing something to protect themselves. She reached the door and turned her head, "Later!" She said as she dashed out of the building.

With sunset but a distant memory, she looked out over the fields from the top of a solitary tree in the fields west of the village. Whoever was behind this had planned it well. Now they had forced the villagers to hide indoors for fear of being taken, all they had to do was stroll through the fields, enter a house and grab someone under cover of darkness.

The minutes turned into hours as she daydreamed of what she would do to the first one she caught. It was after midnight when she heard something amongst the gentle swishing of the crops in the breeze. She activated one of her magic items that granted Dark Vision and there he was, a figure in a hooded black robe moving across the field towards the village.

She dropped out of the tree soundlessly thanks to her enchanted boots and followed from a safe distance. It took another twenty minutes as he circled round and approached a house on the far side of the village. He stood in front of the door and she saw a flash as a magic scroll was consumed. He forced the lock open without a sound and went inside.

_A Silence spell? Fufu, perfect!_

She watched through the shutters as he entered the bedroom of a young girl no older than she was. It was Astraea, the elders daughter. Before the girl could fully awaken it was too late, the man struck her carefully on the head, knocked her out cold and began to quickly gag her and bind her arms and legs.

She licked her lips as she eyed her prey and entered the building. He never even knew what hit him as he pitched forwards into darkness. He wouldn't be out for long, she was quite skillful at that sort of thing, after all, she wouldn't want him to miss anything. She giggled sadistically and searched through his robe. He didn't look like a slaver, but she couldn't be sure either way just yet. He only had more rope and another scroll on him.

She smiled and took a scroll of her own out of her pocket. It had taken a bit of pushing but eventually she'd managed to secure an anti-divination scroll, claiming it would prevent any possibility her enemies could spy on her or locate her if she was exposed. She cast it. There was no way she was letting that bitch Thousand Mile Astrologer watch her during play time.

A few minutes later she cast the second scroll and slapped him around the face a few times, "Hey, wakey wakey", she purred. He stirred but showed no signs of lucidity so she unsheathed a dagger and stabbed it through his thigh. His eyes shot open and he screamed.

"Wh-who are you? What do you want?" He yelled through the pain.

She smiled in response and took another dagger out, swiftly impaling his other leg with it. As he cried out, she answered, "I'll be asking the questions if you don't mind! Tell me what I want and I'll let you go".

She withdrew her third dagger and let it trace gently down his chest, grinning ear to ear. This would be fun.

Thirty minutes later she'd gotten just about everything she could use information wise and plenty of satisfaction. They weren't slavers, they were from Zuranon, a death cult she'd heard mentioned a few times. She also had the leader's name, one of the 'Twelve Executives' as he'd called them, how many they were, a rough combat strength estimate, and directions. She was about to finish him off when a muffled groan came from the bed.

Astraea came round and groggily raised herself off the bed, her hands still bound in front of her. While it was still dark, the girls eyes slowly focused on her, spattered with blood, and screamed into her gag.

She looked deep into Astraea's eyes, full of so much terror and something inexplicable clicked within her. She stood up, leaving the cultist pinned to the ground and grabbed the woman before she could back away, throwing her to the ground next to him.

The eyes, it was always the eyes. They could show emotions the rest of the body could only dream of. She grabbed Astraea's hair at the roots and held her head up as she slid the tip of the dagger across her neck, a thin bead of blood trickling down her chest, mixing with the tears streaming down her face. The look in her eyes was so much better than the cultists. The look of betrayal, as the one sent here to rescue her, slowly slid the tip of the dagger through her breast into her heart.

She wished she could draw it out but she had spent too much time with the cultist already and it was getting so late it was getting early. It would be very awkward if this was found.

As the girl dropped to the ground, she turned back to the cultist, "You-you're crazy! Help! Help me!" He wheezed, his voice weak, as she took the dagger and slowly pushed it into his throat. She stopped and withdrew it, watching as he drowned in his own blood, his arms flailing around to try and grab her until at last he body went limp. Given everything she'd done to him she was surprised he still had this much energy.

She breathed out, satisfied with her nights work. Though as they say, if you're doing what you love you never work a day in your life!

Equipped in relics of the Gods, carrying two bodies was a trivial matter. With one in each hand, she strolled out of the house into the still dark village, retracing the cultists steps, past the tree she had hidden in and out into the wilderness. Before long she spotted the large boulder and turned right, following it for a few hundred metres till she hit a tree that had fallen into a ditch and turned left. A few minutes later she was standing outside a cave.

If he was to believed, only the leader was capable of any decent level of magic but even then, none of it would threaten her with her equipment. She could dance around fireballs and lightning all day.

She strode inside without a sound.

It was something of a maze, just as she'd been told, but his directions held up, the smell of death steadily grew stronger.

_He must have really believed I'd let him go!_

"Fufu", she snickered at the thought of it.

The cave opened up into a dimly lit room. The smell of death was almost unbearable, even for one like her who revelled in it. From the edge of the darkness she peered inside and could see three figures, one wearing red, talking at the far end opposite a pedestal with a black orb placed almost ceremoniously on it.

"I told you we should've moved on already! Say what you want about these misguided fanatics but in the defence of the nation they're swift and ruthless!" One of the black figures was saying, clearly on edge.

"Silence! He will return. He must've gotten caught up", answered the red figure dismissively.

_Oooo, this could be fun!_

She grinned to herself and as her prey stood there chatting away, blissfully unaware of their impending doom, she gently lowered the girl to the ground. With all the strength she could muster, she threw the dead cultist across the room. It hit the first one to speak in the back and knocked him to the floor as the second minion shrieked. The leaders reaction was better and he drew his staff, "What the hell is this? Show yourself!" He called out. The display of strength was marred by the cultist on the ground screaming, "Get it off, get it off!"

She laughed, this was definitely going to be fun!

"Sure!" She said cheerfully, still unseen in the darkness, picking up the girls body and throwing it at the second cultist as he helped the first up, knocking them both down again.

"Stop playing games, who are you?"

She walked out into the light, bouncing on every step, "You must be Robin, pleased to meetcha! Ya can call me-"

His eyes narrowed, "Just what did you do to Taric?" he exclaimed, interrupting her.

"We played together of course," she said jokingly, before her voice suddenly turned very serious, "Now it's your turn".

As though an alarm bell had rung, he took a combat pose and yelled, "Get up you idiots, this is serious!"

[Fireball]

She was already moving long before the fireball was airborne. She could use a good number of martial arts but right here they simply weren't necessary. It struck the wall where she'd been as she lunged forwards, dagger in hand and plunged it into the palm of his hand. He hissed in pain but before he could make a move, she dropped low and swept her leg around, taking his legs out from under him. He hit the ground hard, winding him.

In one fluid motion she spun once more, reaching out to pluck the dagger from his palm and stabbed it through the wrist of the first disciple, deep into the floor. Before he could even scream, a second dagger was arcing down at his other wrist, pinning him to the floor. The other cultist she grabbed by the neck, flipping him over her head. The leader had no time to get to his feet so he raised a hand and wheezed a spell:

[Lightn-]

As the electricity sparked on his finger, the cultist landed on him heavily, once again winding him, interrupting the spell which fizzled to nothing. Neither of them had the chance to steady themselves as she withdrew her third dagger, grabbed the second cultist's hands and impaled them both into the floor at once. She stood up slowly and sat down on the leader's back as he gasped for air, the others yelling in pain. The whole fight had barely taken five seconds. She withdrew one of her Sai.

"Let's get to the point shall we", she said, waving the weapon in front of his eyes, "There's something I wanna test, and for that, I'll need you guys' help!"

"I'm gonna make you all suffer, and nothing you can tell me will change that. And when I'm done with you, I'm gonna look into your eyes as I finish you off", the sadistic edge in her voice had returned in force.

She dropped the blade in front of his face and it sank into the solid rock as though cutting through butter and grabbed his hands. Once in the middle she readjusted her grip to free up one hand, grabbed the Sai, and pinned him to the ground. Within moments the flesh around the impact point began to decay and searing pain shot up his arms. She reckoned she had about ten minutes. Perhaps giving him an audience would improve things.

She got up and wandered over to the first cultist, removing the blades and flipping him over onto his back as the other whimpered. She gently dragged the blades over him. She didn't have that much time, but she'd definitely enjoy it.

Eight minutes later, the bodies of two very dead cultists were behind her. It just hadn't been the same as that girl. No matter how much they'd screamed and begged for mercy.

She sat on her haunches in front of the leader. The decay had reached his shoulders so ten minutes had been close. She'd been told the Sais' had a very powerful ability that simple wounds would cause the flesh around them to decay, an ability called 'Necrosis'. If the weapons were left in the body, the decay would slowly spread indefinitely, causing intense pain. If the person was lucky they died quickly from the shock to the system, if not, they would only die once it hit the heart or brain. This guy was one of the unlucky ones.

"You-you're mad. Please, spare me, I can contact my master, he can grant you power beyond your wildest dreams, the power of Zuranon!" His voice was weak, but his faith in his master seemed to bring him some renewed vigour.

"Hmm", she said, tilting her head to the side, "Sure why not. What's his name?"

"Pe-" He coughed up blood, it had started on his lungs, "Per Yngve Oh Lin, the most powerful Elder Lich the world has ever known. Please!"

She crouched in front of him and put her hand on the blade, his eyes looking up at her, filled with desperation. She caressed his face, then grabbed his jaw and stuck out her tongue, "Gotcha! I told ya at the start".

As he cursed her, spitting blood, she took one last look at his eyes and saw that look. Then snapped his neck.

She sighed with joy. "I hope that was as good for you as it was for me".

It was morning by the time she returned.

She'd explored the rest of the area and found the bodies of the kidnapped villagers, reanimated as mindless zombies, including one dog. Other than that there wasn't much to find. There were a bunch more Silence scrolls between the three of them and a few Message scrolls on the leader. The only strange thing was, by the time she'd dealt with the zombies and returned, the orb on the pedestal had vanished. There was nobody around, that much she was certain of. 'It must have been a summoned item that expired' was the best she could come up with.

Naturally she had burnt all the bodies.

She walked casually across the fields back towards the village. It had been such a fun night! She could rest up and tomorrow, start the return journey back to the capital, inform the captain of a job well done and look for new opportunities to have a bit of fun.

Outside the girl Astraea's home was a crowd. As Odr saw her he rushed over, "My baby girl, they've taken her! There's blood everywhere!" He said, his voice almost a wail. Lyssa was crying in the background being consoled by several other villagers.

"Ah, sorry to tell you, I caught the man during the kidnapping. Things got messy and he killed her and fled with the body, but I got him good. Tracked the blood trail to their hideout and got the rest of them. No need to worry any more!" She said cheerfully, without the slightest hint of remorse.

The man broke down in tears and sank to his knees.

Totally ignorant of his cries of woe she casually dismissed herself with a wave of her hand, "I'll head back to the inn, I've had a long night".

As she trotted off, arms up, hands behind her head, she knew exactly what she'd dream of. It had been a very good night.

* * *

"I thought I'd find you up here", said a familiar voice from behind her. It sounded uptight. It always sounded uptight.

She rolled her eyes, "Cap send you to check on me?" The playful tone was completely absent.

The man came closer, "No, this is all me. What is happening with you, Sis? Ever since that job last month you've changed, the others may not see it, but I know you".

_Ha, you're a few years too late if you're planning to start acting like a caring brother._

It was almost two weeks ago now, the last time she'd had a chance to play with anyone, ever since the Captain had taken her off active duty. Their last mission together had gone a little awry, but she had at least found a new love. Adventurers.

Criminals, deep down, almost seemed to accept their fate as karma. Peasants were better, but they were at the mercy of others and spent their whole lives knowing it. Adventurers though, they were so full of fight. Witnessing the will to resist slowly drain from their eyes was a drug like no other.

There were no adventurers in the Slane Theocracy though and killing civilians was risky, so earlier that night she'd had a great idea and visited one of the seedier brothels that Kami Miyako had to offer. She had arrived, shrouded in her travelling cloak and requested a 'good time'. When she entered the room, she'd planned to use one of her leftover Silence scrolls, though it had then occurred to her that screams in that kind of place wouldn't be out of place, so she put it away.

The whole thing had been a massive disappointment. The elf girl was broken, like an empty husk. The look on her face was one who welcomed death's sweet embrace. She hadn't even bothered to finish the job, leaving the girl to bleed out on the floor.

And now here she was, back on the roof of the Cathedral of Darkness, frustrated and wondering what to do next. Even that had been interrupted.

She swallowed her scathing comment, she was in a bad enough mood as it was without his condescending superiority stoking the fire.

"I'm fine", she said, her voice a monotone.

"You expect me to believe that?" He asked.

"Hmph, I don't care what you believe", she replied, not taking her eyes off the city.

"You're impossible, you know that", he said with a sigh.

She ignored him. Eventually she heard him walk away and take the trap door off the roof and in the privacy of her mind, she cursed him. It was all his fault, all of it. Her whole life she'd been following in his footsteps, living in the shadow of Quaiesse Hazia Quintia, the 'One Man Army'. Always compared to him and never given credit for anything she achieved.

She got up, and with her mood rapidly deteriorating, headed back home. All members of the Scriptures were provided with homes they could make their own and she had done very little with hers. It was a place she wanted to spend as little time as possible. She opened the door and slammed it shut behind her, shaking the frame.

The place was beginning to feel more and more like a prison cell. Entering the bedroom, she lifted the false floor up and tossed the Silence scroll back inside. One of them caught her eye, a blood-stained Message scroll she'd taken from the leader of the Zuranon cultists.

She picked it out and looked at it.

_Power overwhelming would be nice... though if this works I might just settle for getting out of this hell hole. What was the name again..._

[Message: Per Yngve Oh Lin]

She tensed in anticipation as the spell triggered. It connected but nobody answered. Her heart sank, it seemed the cultist had the last laugh after all.

"Damnit!" She cursed.

She nearly jumped out of her skin as a voice that was undeniably undead laughed in response, its rasping voice echoing round her head, "Hahaha, It seems I miscalculated. I expected you sooner".

She froze. The voice had just said it expected her, did it believe she was the cultist? Surely not, it had been over a month.

She answered carefully, "Expected me?"

"It is no matter, time is not important for me, Windstride".

As the disembodied voice referred to her by her epitaph, known only to those within the Scripture and above, she felt a cold dread wash over her. This wasn't good, she was at a complete disadvantage here.

Before she could respond, the voice continued, "My my, did you really believe followers of the _False_ Gods were the only ones capable of magics to gather information?" She could feel the boundless hatred as he spoke of the Six even through the link and it made her shudder.

His voice shifted, becoming solemn, "The one true God, Surshana, granted me my power and I have seen a great many things, dear girl. You have contacted me so the time is now right for you to join us as one of my Twelve Executives. Do you deny it?"

She freaked out and broke the connection. This was not what she expected at all. Whatever this thing was, it was powerful and the way it spoke, it sounded like it had met the God of Darkness, Surshana. That meant it was at least five hundred years old and undead that ancient were strong.

She paced back and forth in her room, expecting some form of response from the undead. When none came, she cursed herself.

_You fool. It was probably just some shitty Elder Lich with ideas of grandeur. You were tricked!_

She grimaced as the exhaustion of the long day began to creep in. She stripped, tossed her clothes into the corner and went to bed. She'd feel better tomorrow. She needed a plan to get back into action.

When she awoke, it was dark. Not the kind of darkness one would find inside a bedroom in the dead of night, but the darkness that is found far from the sun's light.

Another sense perked up. Where was her bed? Where was her quilt? She moved her hand around her as the cold from the floor began to seep into her naked body. Stone, rough and uneven, like a natural cave.

There were no sounds other than her breathing which was surprisingly calm given the situation. Whatever else she was, she was still a member of the Black Scripture, one of the most elite humans in the known world.

Suddenly the silence was broken by a hollow voice from somewhere behind her, "They train you well".

The transition from seated on the ground to standing in a battle ready pose was almost instantaneous. The only problem was, she needed to pinpoint the voice first, "What do you want? Where am I?"

This time the voice came from the side, "Do I really need to say it? You contacted me, it is only right I receive an answer", there had been no sounds to indicate movement, magical equipment like her own perhaps?

She turned again to face it. This was all a game of smoke and mirrors, there was no doubt about it. Naked and unarmed she might be, an Elder Lich's physical abilities were laughable. It would have to resort to magic to harm her and its only spells were Fireball and Lightning. The moment it attempted to use either, it would illuminate whatever room she was in. She could then activate her martial arts and close the distance before it could escape her grasp. Once you had a hold of them, undead like an Elder Lich were utterly helpless.

She clenched her fists harder and smiled. Today she vowed she would find out if the undead could feel fear or not, "Per Yngve Oh Lin," she stated, her voice like steel.

A laugh like it was coughing up gravel echoed around the chamber, "There it is, that look you treasure so much in others".

It was starting to get on her nerves. Just how did it know so much?" Since when did the undead stalk girls", she asked mockingly.

The voice, now full of menace, came from beside her ear, "We do when they're special".

She reacted instantly, and went to grapple the undead. Its arrogance would be its downfall for coming so close, saving her the trouble of finding it, but instead of the partially decayed body of an Elder Lich, her hands found nothing but still air.

[Shockwave]

The spell struck her in the chest and knocked the air from her lungs as it sent her hurtling across the floor. The shock of the attack was almost too much as she tumbled across the floor.

[Invulnerable Fortress]

The defensive martial art activated the moment before she slammed into the wall, the rock cracking from the force of the impact. If she hadn't reacted in time it would have killed her.

She gasped for air as its laugh echoed around the chamber once more, louder and more ominous than before. She was very angry now, but worse than that, fear was creeping in, making her question everything. She had quite a few cuts and bruises from before she'd activated her martial art, nothing serious but that wasn't the issue. Elder Lich's couldn't use Shockwave and she had never felt one so powerful before. Even the Third Seat, considered to be a magical powerhouse within the Theocracy couldn't produce one that strong. It was always possible it used an item or scroll but there should have been something to reveal that.

"There it is again, that look. Did they all have it too before you took it away? The peasant girl Astraea, so pure, so innocent. Or the farm hand, Baldr, you lured from his home, so full of joy. Perhaps Pantheon, the adventurer team with so much potential", with every victim it mentioned, its voice became more taunting.

"What the hell do you want!?" she spat. She hadn't been in this type of situation since the Black Scripture training. It had been one of the most horrible experiences she had ever endured but even that hadn't prepared her for the reality of it.

The voice resonated with the sound of a coffin lid slamming, "Deep within the graveyard of E-Rantel, a servant of mine, Khajit, works to achieve ascension. You will retrieve a Crown of Wisdom and deliver it to him"

"If you're so powerful, why not get it yourself?" She scoffed.

"I value talent where I see it. You would do well in Zuranon", the voice said. She got the distinct impression it was humouring her.

"And if I refuse?

"Then information about those events will reach certain people in positions of power", it said dismissively.

"You're blackmailing me?!" She hissed incredulously.

"Blackmail is such an ugly word. I am bartering power in exchange for your services. Most would be prepared to do anything to receive my support", his voice had hints of nobility and wisdom about it, but all she could hear was arrogance.

"What's to stop me from telling the Cardinals everything I know?" It was foolish, but she was desperate for anything she could use to gain an advantage or push the undead into making a mistake so she could strike.

"Khajit is a pawn, nothing more. What is another five or ten or fifty years to an immortal being. As for my name, the Cardinals know it", she was taken aback by the statement, "Don't look so surprised, if there is one thing they are good at, it is keeping things hidden. There are a great many secrets handed down in the upper echelons of the Slane Theocracy, that would cause total chaos were they ever known by the populace. One day I may deign to bring about their downfall and make them known, but for now, they all have their uses", in some twisted way, that brought her a modicum of happiness.

If she was going to have to endure this, the least she could do is find out how it could benefit her, "What's in it for me?"

"Freedom from that cesspit of ignorance. You may join Zuranon and benefit from my power and wisdom, or make your own way in the world".

She finally conceded. While it might mean substituting one bunch of unhinged fanatics for another, it was better than her current position.

"Fine, I accept".

No sooner had she said the words, a searing pain hit her from within, like her mind was being purged by fire from the inside out. She collapsed to her knees clutching her head, screaming in agony as the world went white. A moment later it was gone, a cold sweat trickling down her body as she breathed heavily on all-fours.

"What. The hell. Did you do", she barely articulated between breaths. Her whole body ached.

The voice seemed amused now, "Did you think your oath was nothing but empty words, given at a certain place? Did it never occur to you why there are so few traitors at a senior level? It protects against interrogation and betrayal. When you fully commit to betraying your oath it will kill you. I possess an item which can revoke that oath".

She gritted her teeth. She understood what it was saying without having to say it. Not only had she confirmed her intent to him, she was now in its debt for saving her life. There was no doubt in her mind that she had been about to die. The pain had felt like it was melting a hole through her brain.

The undead voice called out to her, "Now..."

[Sleep]

She awoke with a start in her bedroom and sat bolt upright. The nightmare had been so vivid. She moved her hand and winced. Looking down she saw it, abrasions and bruises. In shock she tossed the quilt off and looked at her body. Her whole body was covered in them and she ached everywhere.

_It... it wasn't a dream. It was real? It was fucking real!?_

She felt her stomach retch and ran to her latrine, just in time to empty it of what little it contained.

_I'm so dead._

Betraying the Slane Theocracy was one thing but betraying the Black Scripture? She shuddered at the thought.

She went to the sink and threw some water over her face and stared at her reflection. Something caught her eye, and she turned to see a glass vial on the side containing a blue liquid. A minor health potion, the best kind, supplied to the elite guardsman and knights and above, as well as a note.

She picked it up. In sharp, angular, cursive writing, it read:

_To avoid any questions_

No sooner had she had read it, the note burst into flames and within moments there was nothing left but ash. She grimaced. She was definitely not dealing with any normal undead. After drinking the potion, healing all her minor injuries, she drew herself a nice hot bath and sank in, ready to make sense of everything.

It was midday, two days later, as she walked down the main street, a spring in her step, towards the artisan district. Her mood had greatly increased over the last couple of days as she'd come to terms with the reality of her situation. After all, it wasn't another problem to deal with, it was a solution to all her current problems. Okay, it might replace them with a new one but she could deal with that later. She would strike this evening at sunset.

She had figured there were two objectives. The first was to work out how to steal a Crown of Wisdom from one of the Six Miko Princesses who were guarded by the most elite guardsman outside of the Scripture organisations with items that could easily alert everyone of note if they were attacked.

Secondly she'd also like to steal the relics of the Gods that were assigned to her from the treasury, guarded by a single person, Zesshi Zetsumei.

No sooner had she thought of it, she'd laughed at the insanity of it. Thinking up an idea, several in fact, for stealing the Crown, was actually the easy part.

The more she'd thought about attempting to steal from the treasury the more ridiculous a proposition it sounded. A very limited number of people were permitted access to that area, the Scripture members were only allowed with authorisation from a Cardinal to collect or return equipment for official Scripture business.

The girl, if the half-elf bitch could even be called that, was the secret weapon of the Slane Theocracy and had been for over a hundred years. All Black Scripture potentials were put against her in a duel. Just thinking about it made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end.

There she'd been, kitted out in her full equipment and told to survive as the unarmed half-elf girl stood on the opposite side with a bored expression on her face.

To call it a fight was to make a mockery of actual combat. The moment they began she had been hit by a wave of killing intent so fierce she froze, paralysed by primal fear. The girl hadn't moved but now she looked like an avatar of death filling her vision. She could recall the sensations vividly. Her skin had felt like icy blades were pricking into it over every inch of her body, her heartbeat had pounded in her ears like a rapid drum beat and her vision had slowly blurred, like looking through a thick mist. Her brother's mocking face had appeared in front of her eyes at that moment. The burning hatred she felt for him had grounded her, easing the terror just slightly.

She had turned and ran.

The instructors considered that a pass. She had learnt later that anything other than being unable to move was seen as a win in the face of such overwhelming power that defied logic.

As much as she wanted her equipment, she had ruled that out completely. She didn't dare go anywhere near that monster. While she could probably fake an instruction to get herself in there, if she sensed anything wrong she'd be killed before she could blink. If she was lucky.

She stepped into the armourers shop and pushed her hood back. The middle aged man behind the counter recognised her immediately, "Welcome back miss! Your armour is ready for you", he said in a clipped professional tone. She smiled and followed him round to the forge where her new armour waited on a womannequin, its proportions surprisingly accurate.

"Ooooo, I love it", she said, leaning in to get a closer look.

"Very glad to hear that miss! I must say it was an unusual request, a soft leather, bound to a thin mythril sheet painted with an orange solution. Are you sure you don't want me to include... well, not to put too fine a point on it miss, some protection?" He asked, furrowing his brow.

She giggled, he had asked repeatedly if she wanted more when she made the request, as though his pride struggled with the idea that armour plating wasn't everything. She had always relied on her speed and agility, hence the epitaph 'Windstride', and without the superior materials of the relics of the Gods, she had to remove the unnecessary bits to maintain that freedom of movement.

"Can I try it on?" She asked and without waiting for an answer, threw off her travelling cloak, making him blush a deep red. She was wearing barely more than undergarments and stockings, her thighs, belly and the top of her chest exposed. It would suit the armour perfectly.

As he helped her, she toyed with the idea of killing him now his job was done. The forge was still hot after all, but alas no, she couldn't take any risks today, even if the poker was right there.

She sighed wistfully, there would be plenty of fun to be had later. At last she was equipped, and after a few small adjustments, tossed the man a pouch of coins and left for she had work to do. Soon she would return home to prepare, but she had one last stop to make, a sixth alchemist in two days, so none would be the wiser of her intentions. It was all coming together quite easily.

As the sun began to set, she sheathed her favourite daggers. It had been a risk, but a very small one. The daggers were not valuable enough to be held in the treasury, which had also made borrowing them for 'training' easier and far less likely to be questioned.

She looked out over the Cathedral of Earth. It was both the closest to the Northern Gate where she had a horse waiting, the most predictable, but more than anything, it was far from the Cathedral of Darkness. That dramatically reduced the likelihood of Black Scripture members intervening. In their civilian gear only a couple of them posed a threat to her, but if the Captain intervened she was done for.

She saw the Miko Princess, surrounded by three guards, one up front and two trailing behind at her sides.

The Miko Princesses were nothing like the fairy tale princess little girls dreamed of. They may look pretty, dressed in exquisite clothes, but they were living weapons, no better than golems. The Crown of Wisdom allowed the wearer to use high-tier magic far beyond their natural capacity but it did so at the cost of totally erasing their personality. They were treated as normal people, given homes, escorted around the city by an elite protection detail, but it mattered little. They didn't react to anything that went on around them beyond direct commands, even zombies showed more signs of life.

The guard captain for the evening shift of the Miko Princess of Earth would always leave via the same route, in direct opposition to protocol, because he claimed she liked the scenery.

She hopped from rooftop to rooftop ahead of them, the anticipation mounting as she stalked her prey, until she arrived at the ambush spot. As they entered the quiet alleyway she licked her lips and tossed the first item over the edge at the guard in the front, unsheathed a dagger and leapt from the rooftop at the closest guard in the rear, activating her martial arts as she fell.

The glass vial hit the ground and shattered, startling them and filling the air around the leader with a toxic gas. His consciousness began to fade almost immediately as she landed on the shoulders of the closest rear guard, driving the dagger into the eye slit of his otherwise nearly impervious armour. She flipped off his body as it collapsed to the ground and leapt with inhuman speed at the last guard who was fumbling to get his sword from his scabbard, the enchanted bell at his side totally forgotten. Again, the dagger found its mark, piercing straight through his eye, killing him instantly.

She turned to see the Miko Princess standing there facing her as if nothing had happened, a faint smile on her face. She grinned, she had heard stories of what happened when these Crowns were removed and she couldn't wait to see it first-hand.

She walked lightly over to her, "Such a pretty crown, can I have it?" and snatched it off her head.

The effect was instantaneous. The scream was so loud that she felt her ears ring as the princess collapsed to the ground, flailing around wildly. Within seconds her beautiful white dress was stained with excrement. It was both horrifying and hilarious at the same time.

The scream had alerted a nearby patrol who rounded the corner however. As they yelled at her, she pouted, "Oops, gotta go!" and ran into the tiny alleyway at the side, flinging her second item over her shoulder. No sooner had she entered, the package broke open and ignited the remnants of the gas, causing a small explosion as she leapt at the wall. It was a trivial feat for her to leap from side to side and find herself back on the rooftops within seconds and from there, she quickly made her way to the gate.

With the capital beyond the horizon, it began to rain. She laughed, it was like she had a guardian angel smiling down on her. Rain would make it much harder to track her, but she had to stay one step ahead of Thousand Mile Astrologer. They would be looking for her, that meant staying off the roads, but for now, she was happy to put as much distance between herself and the capital as possible.

She stopped at the side of the road to eat, flicking through the items in her pack. She withdrew four gold plates she had taken from the adventurers and smiled to herself. Trophies were all well and good, but perhaps she could do something more.

Her musings were disrupted when she spotted a wagon in the distance in the shade of the forest. She mounted up and went over. Taking a look inside she saw a fresh faced young couple, startled by her sudden appearance.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare ya!" She said happily.

"It's alright, we just weren't expecting to see anyone out here. I'm Falon, this is my wife Tessa", he said, the positivity and optimism radiating from him.

"Nice to meetcha! Call me Clementine", she replied, grinning from ear to ear. The sound of her stiletto leaving it's sheath was lost under the gentle pattering of the falling rain.

_This isn't so bad after all._


End file.
